NYers say 15 mph e-bike speed limit falls short: ‘This will do nothing’

NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) – Mayor Eric Adams’ proposed speed limit for e-bikes and e-scooters is nothing but a political stunt, many speakers said at a public hearing Monday. 

Adams and the Department of Transportation in June proposed a 15 mph speed limit for e-bikes, which are currently capped at 25 miles per hour. At the same time, Citi Bike lowered the maximum speed of its e-bikes from 18 mph to 15 mph. 

At a public hearing for the proposed speed limit, dozens of people agreed that the speed limit “will do nothing” to create street safety. 

One such speaker was Danny Russel, who was hospitalized after being hit by a wrong-way e-bike rider moving very quickly, he said. 

“Without enforcement, without accountability, a speed limit’s just a meaningless number on a sign,” Russel said. 

Speakers instead suggested safety infrastructure like protected bike lanes and lower speed limits for cars. Many pointed to Sammy’s Law, which gave the city the authority to lower speed limits to 20 mph. 

Many speakers supported the passage of Priscilla’s Law, which would require e-bikes to register for license plates. The law, proposed at both a city and state level, is named after 68-year-old Priscilla Loke, who died after being struck by an e-bike in Chinatown.

“Priscilla’s law will actually change rider behavior,” said Janet Schroeder of the NYC E-Vehicle Safety Alliance. 

The speed limit may actually undermine safety, making riders “sitting ducks” in traffic, multiple speakers said. E-bike riders need to keep up with the pace of traffic to avoid crashes, said Joseph Cohen, CEO of Infinite Machine. Cohen and others noted that most e-bikes do not have speedometers. 

“This rule sets up … New Yorkers to fail,” Cohen said.

The rule will overly penalize deliveristas without doing anything to regulate delivery apps, which incentivize unsafe e-bike operation, according to a spokesperson for Comptroller Brad Lander’s office. Lander has suggested greater requirements for app-based delivery companies.

Multiple people criticized the rule as a political stunt by Adams during a hotly contested mayoral race. 

“This is not a moment for optics,” said Adam Alsamadisi, who said he was hit by an e-bike as he was exiting a bus. “Laws without enforcement are worse than meaningless.”